A three-dimensional multi-world framework for examining cross-cultural experiences of international doctoral students

• Published in: Studies in continuing education Vol. 44; no. 3; pp. 493 - 509
• Main Authors: Yang, Yibo, MacCallum, Judith
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sydney Routledge 02.09.2022; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Chinese students; conceptual framework; Cross Cultural Studies; Cross Cultural Training; cross-cultural study; Cultural differences; Doctoral candidates; Doctoral education; Doctoral Students; Foreign Students; Graduate students; Higher education; Individual Differences; International education; International students; Student Experience; Student Mobility; Study Abroad; Australia
• ISSN: 0158-037X; 1470-126X
• DOI: 10.1080/0158037X.2021.1890569

With the trend of student mobility, talented individuals have been pursuing doctoral education opportunities abroad. Prior research addressed specific aspects or challenges of doing a PhD in a cross-cultural context, leaving a need to understand the nature of students' experiences from a holistic perspective. To address the need, this study develops a framework that conceptualises an international doctoral student's research, personal, and social worlds as multi-worlds, highlighting transitions across the worlds that make a difference in student experiences. It also structures the continuous, interactive, and situative nature of study abroad as a three-dimensional space to encompass the multi-worlds and transitions across and over time. Illustrated by one international student's in-depth narrative inquiry, this framework offers both theoretical insights and practical approaches to the comprehensive understanding of PhD abroad experiences.